🎯 Learning Intentions
Today we will learn:
- The four dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā (taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau, taha wairua)
- Why holistic wellbeing requires balance across all four dimensions
- How to assess our own current wellbeing using this framework
- How mātauranga Māori approaches health differently from Western medical models
✅ Success Criteria
You will know you've succeeded when you can:
- Explain what each dimension of Te Whare Tapa Whā means
- Give examples of wellbeing in each dimension
- Assess your own wellbeing across all four dimensions
- Identify which dimensions are strong and which need attention
- Explain why all four dimensions matter for overall health
📝 Key Vocabulary
Hauora
Health, wellbeing, vitality - encompasses physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions
Te Whare Tapa Whā
"The four-sided house" - Māori health model with four walls representing different aspects of wellbeing
Taha Tinana
Physical wellbeing - the body, physical health, fitness, nutrition
Taha Hinengaro
Mental/emotional wellbeing - thoughts, feelings, emotional regulation
Taha Whānau
Social wellbeing - relationships, connections, sense of belonging
Taha Wairua
Spiritual wellbeing - values, purpose, identity, connection to something greater
Mātauranga Māori
Māori knowledge, wisdom, and ways of understanding the world
Holistic
Treating the whole person, not just symptoms or one part
📋 Lesson Activities
Activity 1: Think About Wellbeing (10 minutes)
⏱️ 0-10 min🎯 Purpose:
Activate prior knowledge and get students thinking about what health and wellbeing mean
👩🏫 Teacher Instructions:
- Silent Reflection (2 min): Ask students to think silently: "What does it mean to be healthy? What does wellbeing look like?"
- Quick Write (3 min): Students jot down 5-10 words or phrases that come to mind when they think of "being well"
- Pair-Share (3 min): Students share their ideas with a partner
- Class Brainstorm (2 min): Collect responses on the board, clustering similar ideas together
👥 Student Actions:
- Think individually about personal understanding of health
- Write quick list of wellbeing words/ideas
- Share thoughts with a partner
- Contribute to whole-class discussion
🎨 Differentiation:
Support: Provide sentence starters: "I feel healthy when...", "Wellbeing means..."
Extension: Ask students to categorise their ideas into types (physical, mental, social, etc.)
Activity 2: Introducing Te Whare Tapa Whā (15 minutes)
⏱️ 10-25 min🎯 Purpose:
Explicitly teach the four dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā model and its cultural significance
👩🏫 Teacher Instructions:
- Draw the Whare (5 min): Sketch a simple meeting house (whare) on the board with four walls and a floor. Label each wall:
- Front wall: Taha Tinana (Physical)
- Back wall: Taha Hinengaro (Mental/Emotional)
- Left wall: Taha Whānau (Social)
- Right wall: Taha Wairua (Spiritual)
- Floor: Whenua (Land - connection to environment)
- Explain the Metaphor (3 min): "Imagine a meeting house. If one wall is weak or broken, what happens? The whole house becomes unstable. It's the same with our wellbeing - we need all four dimensions to be strong."
- Explore Each Dimension (5 min): For each wall, briefly explain and give concrete examples:
- Taha Tinana: "Physical health - eating well, exercising, sleeping enough, looking after your body when sick"
- Taha Hinengaro: "Mental and emotional health - managing stress, understanding your feelings, having good self-esteem"
- Taha Whānau: "Social health - having good friendships, family relationships, feeling like you belong"
- Taha Wairua: "Spiritual health - knowing who you are, what you value, feeling connected to something bigger than yourself (could be culture, nature, beliefs, purpose)"
- Cultural Context (2 min): Briefly explain:
- Developed by Sir Mason Durie, a Māori health expert
- Based on traditional Māori understanding that health is holistic
- Different from Western medicine which often treats only physical symptoms
- Recognised internationally as an excellent wellbeing framework
👥 Student Actions:
- Listen actively and take notes
- Copy the whare diagram into notebooks
- Ask clarifying questions
- Think about how each dimension shows up in their own life
🌿 Cultural Note for Teachers:
Acknowledge that you're teaching a Māori framework and encourage students to share wellbeing concepts from their own cultures too. Some cultures have similar holistic approaches - make space for those connections. If possible, invite a local kaumātua or Māori health practitioner to speak about Te Whare Tapa Whā from an insider perspective.
Activity 3: Assess Your Whare (15 minutes)
⏱️ 25-40 min🎯 Purpose:
Students apply the framework to their own lives through reflective self-assessment
👩🏫 Teacher Instructions:
- Distribute Handout (1 min): Give students the Te Whare Tapa Whā Self-Assessment handout
- Model the Process (3 min): Show students how to rate each dimension on a scale of 1-10 and give evidence:
- "For Taha Tinana, I might give myself a 7/10 because I'm eating fairly well and playing basketball twice a week, but I'm not getting enough sleep."
- Emphasise: Be honest with yourself - this is private and won't be shared unless you choose to
- Individual Assessment (10 min): Students work independently to:
- Rate each dimension out of 10
- Write 2-3 sentences explaining their rating
- Identify their strongest dimension and their area needing most attention
- Optional Visualisation (1 min): Students can draw their whare with different-sized walls to represent their ratings
👥 Student Actions:
- Complete self-assessment honestly and thoughtfully
- Reflect on current wellbeing across all four dimensions
- Identify patterns and imbalances
- Keep assessment private unless choosing to share
📊 Formative Assessment:
As students work, circulate and observe. Look for students who:
- Struggle to understand a dimension - offer examples
- Rate everything very high or very low - prompt deeper thinking
- Express concerning wellbeing issues - follow up privately later
- Make insightful connections - ask them to share (if comfortable)
💙 Support for Struggling Students:
Some students may find this reflection difficult or confronting. Offer sentence stems:
- "Right now my [dimension] is strong because..."
- "I think my [dimension] needs attention because..."
- "One thing I could do to strengthen this area is..."
Remind students they can speak with you privately if anything comes up.
Activity 4: Patterns and Insights (15 minutes)
⏱️ 40-55 min🎯 Purpose:
Students share general insights (not private details) and explore why balance matters
👩🏫 Teacher Instructions:
- Small Group Sharing (8 min): In groups of 3-4, students discuss (without sharing specific ratings):
- "Which dimension was easiest to rate? Hardest? Why?"
- "Were you surprised by any of your reflections?"
- "Why do you think all four dimensions matter?"
- "Have you ever experienced one weak dimension affecting others?"
- Whole-Class Discussion (7 min): Facilitate discussion with guiding questions:
- "What makes taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing) different from the others?"
- "Can you be physically healthy but still unwell in other ways?"
- "How might strengthening one dimension help others?"
- "Why might teenagers struggle more with certain dimensions?"
- "How is this framework different from just 'being healthy'?"
👥 Student Actions:
- Participate in small group discussion
- Listen actively to peers' insights
- Make connections between dimensions
- Contribute thoughtful ideas to class discussion
💬 Possible Student Insights to Highlight:
- "When I'm stressed (hinengaro), I don't sleep well (tinana)"
- "Being with friends (whānau) makes me feel happier (hinengaro)"
- "Knowing what I value (wairua) helps me make decisions (hinengaro)"
- "Physical exercise (tinana) helps reduce my anxiety (hinengaro)"
- "Spiritual wellbeing isn't just religion - it's about purpose and identity"
Activity 5: Reflection & Looking Ahead (5 minutes)
⏱️ 55-60 min🎯 Purpose:
Consolidate learning and preview the upcoming unit journey
👩🏫 Teacher Instructions:
- Quick Recap (2 min): Review the four dimensions using hand gestures:
- Point to body → Taha Tinana
- Point to head → Taha Hinengaro
- Point to others → Taha Whānau
- Hand over heart → Taha Wairua
- Exit Ticket (2 min): Students complete one of these sentence stems in their notebooks:
- "One dimension I want to strengthen is... because..."
- "The most important thing I learned today is..."
- "Te Whare Tapa Whā matters because..."
- Preview (1 min): "Over the next 6 weeks, we'll dive deep into each dimension, learning practical strategies to strengthen all four walls of your whare. By the end, you'll create a personal hauora action plan to support your wellbeing."
👥 Student Actions:
- Participate in physical recap
- Complete exit ticket thoughtfully
- Ask any final questions
- Keep self-assessment in a safe place for future reference
🏠 Homework / Extension
Option 1: Personal Reflection (20 minutes)
Choose one dimension where you rated yourself lower. Write 1-2 paragraphs exploring:
- Why do you think this area is currently weaker?
- What specific challenges are affecting this dimension?
- What's one small, realistic action you could take this week to strengthen it?
Option 2: Interview a Kaumātua or Elder (30+ minutes)
Interview an older family member or community member about their perspective on wellbeing:
- What does hauora/wellbeing mean to them?
- What practices from their culture support health and wellbeing?
- What advice would they give young people about staying well?
Write a brief summary of what you learned.
Option 3: Research Extension (30 minutes)
Research Sir Mason Durie and Te Whare Tapa Whā model further:
- When and why was this model developed?
- How has it been used in healthcare and education in Aotearoa?
- What other Māori health models exist?
Create a 1-page summary with sources cited.
📚 Resources & Materials
Required:
- Whiteboard/chart paper for drawing whare diagram
- Te Whare Tapa Whā Self-Assessment handout (one per student)
- Student notebooks or reflection journals
Optional:
- Large printed Te Whare Tapa Whā poster for classroom display
- Coloured markers for students to visualise their whare
- Video: "Introduction to Te Whare Tapa Whā" (search YouTube/Te Tahuhu o te Matauranga)
- Images of traditional Māori meeting houses to show architectural beauty
Digital Resources:
🤔 Teacher Reflection Notes
Use this space to note what worked well, what to adjust for next time, and any student insights or concerns: